Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Chinese Plan Aims To Improve Care for HIV-Positive Inmates

The Chinese public security, health and justice ministries have designed a plan that aims to improve care for HIV-positive inmates in the country, China Daily reports. According to Hao Yang, deputy director-general of the Department of Disease Control at the Ministry of Health, the plan will standardize care for HIV-positive inmates by providing access to no-cost medical care and treating related problems, such as mental health conditions linked to the virus. In addition, the public security ministry has announced it plans to call for separate wards for HIV-positive inmates. The plan also will provide training on HIV prevention to police officers and provide them with protective devices, according to China Daily. A similar pilot program has been launched in five prisons nationwide, according to Hao. At the pilot sites, prison doctors and other workers have been trained on how to communicate with HIV-positive people and how to provide treatment for HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. In addition, they have been trained on how to protect themselves from contracting the virus. The plan also might help police in dealing with suspects who are HIV-positive. According to China Daily, the plan aims to improve facilities and protective equipment in an effort to prevent people from using the virus to avoid prison time. There is no timetable for implementing the plan, China Daily reports (Zhang/Zhu, China Daily, 4/4).

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